Finite element analysis of the seismic behavior of the assembled light steel frame- light wall structures

a fabricated light-weight steel frame-composite light wall structure is proposed in this paper. The
light-weight steel frames are used to bear the vertical loads. The single-row-reinforced recycled
concrete wall-boards are used as lateral members to resist most of the horizontal earthquake
loads. The wall-board, EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) insulation modules, and fly ash blocks form
the thermally insulated wall. Four fabricated lightweight steel frame-composite light wall structures
and one light-weight steel frame (FRA) structure were tested under the low cyclic loads. The
influence of wall reinforcement spacing and structural form (be it fly ash block or not) on the
seismic performance of this new structure was analysed and the damage process of the specimen
was simulated using the ABAQUS® software. The results show that the light steel frames and the
single-row-reinforced recycled concrete wall-board can work well together. Furthermore, the
structure has two clear seismic lines. Due to the use of EPS insulation modules and fly ash blocks,
the structure has good anti-seismic and thermal insulation abilities. Reducing the spacing of bars
or compositing fly ash blocks can significantly improve the seismic performance of the structure.
The finite element method (FEM) calculations agreed well with the experimental results, which
validates the proposed model.